


Ship in a Bottle

by M_D_Wilson



Category: SSF, Super Science Friends
Genre: Gen, OCs sort of, it gets explained later on
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-01-30
Updated: 2020-01-30
Packaged: 2021-02-27 11:53:32
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 667
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22476688
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/M_D_Wilson/pseuds/M_D_Wilson
Summary: Set after the events of Episode 4: Freudian Sleep.Albert finds comfort in those that exist only in his dreams. After all, the team psychologist never did much for him! Who else to turn to other than himself? Hopefully, being able to speak with the fragments of his personality can help him. He just hopes that they can save him before he drowns...
Relationships: Albert/Therapy
Comments: 3
Kudos: 7





	Ship in a Bottle

**Author's Note:**

> Howdy! This is loosely inspired by the Sanders Sides series by Thomas Sanders! At least, the general concept is. The title is based off of the song! Give it a listen, it’s very fitting. This series will make more sense as it goes on, and I’ll do the best I can to explain this world I’ve created inside Albert’s mind. Don’t be afraid to ask me questions in the comments, though, the answers might make their way into future chapters ;)

  
It all began with Albert falling out of the sky. The wind rushed around him, stealing away his terrified scream as he watched the blue skies become grey and full of dark clouds. Dimly, he could remember Marie Curie explaining that the darker a cloud, the heavier with rain it was. All he could think as he plummeted was of how much rain the storm clouds must have held. 

_There was a single moment of searing pain when he hit the surface of the ocean._

Then Albert was clawing at the water, kicking his legs and just managing to break above the calm ocean. He looked around, salt water stinging his eyes and blurring his vision. For as far as he could see, there wasn’t anybody else in the ocean. He kept kicking his legs, treading water as he tried to squash down the mounting panic that threatened to freeze his muscles up. 

“Gotta stay calm, gotta think of a way out...” Albert muttered, shivering as the a drop of freezing rain hit him. 

“ _Need a hand, stranger?_ ”

Albert nearly got whiplash as he spun around in the water, his eyes widening as he looked at... Himself. At least, he was sure it was himself. He was in a small ship, though, one with space for maybe had a dozen people at the most. The only difference in their appearances was in the hair. This him had slightly longer hair, and kept it pulled back in a ponytail with a bit of green silk. 

“... I could use a hand, yeah,” Albert admitted. The other him grinned and held his hand out. 

“Easy does it wouldn't do to capsize her,” the other him joked, hauling Albert up onto the little ship with a surprising ease. Did the others feel that weightless when Albert picked them up? 

“Who are you?” Albert asked, accepting a towel from the other him. He dried himself off with it, realizing halfway through that the other him hadn’t had it before. 

“For your sake, call me Percival. It’ll help make things easier to understand as we go,” Percival said. Albert nodded. “In reality, I’m just another you. I think you figured that out already, at least to some extent,” Percival explained.

  
  


“... Where are we, Percival?” Albert asked. The young man hummed softly, then laid down on the deck of the ship.

“Look up at the sky with me for a moment. Indulge in the ramblings of a lonely boy for a while, won’t you?” Percival asked. Albert followed suit, settling himself on the damp wood of the ship. “We are... Somewhere deep,” Percival said. 

“What does that mean?” Albert asked. 

“Deep in a metaphorical sense, not in a physical sense,” Percival explained. “Physically speaking, we’re in your brain. We drift between the stem and thalamus, to the cortex and back again. That is where all your dreams take place,” he said. Albert’s brow furrowed as he stared at the dark sky. 

“So you’re just a part of my dream? This whole thing is just a dream?” Albert asked. Dreams never felt real, but that earlier pain... That had been real. The single drop of rain had been real. The wood underneath him was real! 

“To put it simply, yes. In reality, though, this is a bit more than your average dream. Your mind is unable to find comfort during your waking hours, so you’ve created this place,” Percival said. His voice was strange in that it wasn’t quite Albert’s own. There was a wistful, sort of dreamy quality to the way he spoke. Soft and melancholic, with an aged look to his eyes that didn’t fit his otherwise youthful appearance. His explanations came readily, as if what he was saying was common sense, yet Albert had a feeling that it was anything but. 

“... Why am I here?” Albert asked. Percival sat up, his tired eyes fixating on the other boy with a startling intensity. 

“ _We are here because we have a serious problem, Albert._ ”


End file.
